I is for I'm back
An Indian adventure
I’ve been home for two weeks now and have tried to start writing this piece nearly every day and the words have not been cooperating. I’m scrolling through my photos and getting lost in short-term nostalgia, re-reading some notes that I jotted throughout the two months trip and seeing an incomplete picture.
But the ideas are simmering, ready to emulsify into a cohesive piece, but I must be patient (not my strongest asset). I thought I’d start with a few places that we ate during our time in Fort Kochi.
A patchwork town of Dutch, French, Portuguese, and British influence. Officially, you visit Fort Kochi for the Mattancherry Synagogue, the oldest in the Commonwealth, or the expansive Dutch palace, but we were there for the food. The town was a stop off point originally, carefully slicing a journey in two, but we found so much pleasure in the culinary exports of Kochi, that we looped back around a few weeks later to revisit what felt like our local restaurants. My notes from my carnet are quite hard to read but the closest I’ll get to remembering details, so here goes:
Restaurants/Cafes in Fort Kochi
Mary’s Kitchen
Old Harbour Hotel
Master Art Cafe
Sri Krishna
Kaavakada
Anatha Bhavan
Puthu Hotel
Raawal Lassi Joint
Chat Shop
Fresh Choice
Master Art Cafe
Next to our homestay was a very sweet terrasse with a tiny menu. One breakfast option that changed often apparently. Very nice chai and perfect coconut chutney. The most friendly older gentleman running the show, he’d sit next to us to take our order, meticulously noting on the branded paper ‘one coffee, one chai’. We wanted to go back for our final breakfast before departing and upon arrival realised it was closed on Mondays. I thought Marion would cry.
Kaavakada
Roadside teashop next to the mosque. Ordered a masala chai but he didn’t have any ready, so he made a peppery, gingery hot tea infusion. Like something you’d drink when you’re sick. It was the end of school time, rickshaws rammed with little children in starched uniforms would stop at the stand and buy fried bananas, the drivers handing them out to the kids in the back. Very much l’heure du gouter. The man refilled his little window with bananas, veg cutlets, pancake rolls, and all was sold whilst we sat sipping our tea.
Sri Krishna
A canteen on Palace Road, full of workers eating their quick thali or masala dosa. So hard to say no to the top up of rice and sauce and curd and pickles and chutneys. So delicious. Ordered 2 masala chais to finish the meal and they brought a masala dosa. Oops. We left here and went to my wet dream shop - Indian kitchenware - stainless steel galore!
Rawal Lassi Joint
Two options of lassi:
special
standard
Special is curd sweetened with cardamom. Tastes like the creamy portion of the old sugary corner yoghurts that we used to eat as children, with the sugared chocolates to pour into the bright white yog.
Standard lassi, to quench the thirst we’re told, is watered down slightly, but still sweet and creamy.
The shop has been there for over 40 years and is open 7 days a week. You stand at the counter to drink your lassi, or lean against your motorbike. Heaven.
I have so much more to write about this trip and aim to get through all of my thoughts over the coming weeks, so as to catch up back to present time, so if you’ve enjoyed this first epistle of Indian adventures, please do share and/or subscribe.
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